Pad assembly



July 16, 1963 J. D. WILLINGHAM, JR 3, ,4

PAD ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 11, 1959 INVENTOR.

JOHN D. WILLINGHAM, JR.

ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,097,442 PAD ASSEMBLY John D. Willingham, Jr., 220 W. Paces Ferry Road NW., Atlanta, Ga. Filed Aug. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 832,964 7 Claims. (CI. 3866) This invention relates to pad assembly for the roll of a flatwork ironer and is more particularly concerned with a composite pad assembly for covering the periphery of a roll in a flatwork ironer.

In the past flatwork ironer rolls have usually comprised three elements, namely the lead cloth which is secured by one end to the periphery of the roll, the pad or padding, as it is sometimes termed, which is inserted beneath the end of the lead cloth and then encompasses the roll, and the cover cloth which covers the outer periphery of the padding, the padding being formed of parallel slivers.

The three elements listed above are essentially free from permanent engagement with each other so that each element may be separately replaced. The inner end of the lead cloth, however, is glued, clipper laced, or otherwise secured to the roll axially thereof. For clipper lacing, it is necessary to provide a metal element firmly secured to the periphery of roll. One edge of the metal element is provided with a series from each other so as to intermesh with similar laces mounted permanently on the end of the lead cloth. It will be understood, therefore, that the prior art lead cloth, adapted for clipper lacing engagement, must, of necessity, be of close weave, the selvedges holding a long series of metal laces equal in length to length of the roll. Thus, the lead cloth of the type is diificult to handle and ship, since the metal laces prevent transverse folding of the lead cloth and are also subject to being easily damaged.

The lead cloth of prior art pad assemblies have usually been made of close weave cotton duck or asbestos sewed to an asbestos cover, such as is shown in US. Patent No. 2,033,894.

An asbestos type lead cloth has good heat resistant qualities; however, it normally requires an asbestos bath type pad which has a very low strength and readily falls apart and lumps. Thus, padding arrangements of this type must be installed with care by experienced men. Since the installation of new pad assemblies necessitates the shutting down of large equipment, such installations are usually made at night and the installer is paid for overtime.

Cotton duck lead cloths also have disadvantages; for example, they are not heat-resistant thereby deteriorating and failing in a short time. They also have low tensile strength and sometimes rip or tear thereby failing. This cotton duck lead cloth must also be installed with care usually by an experienced installation man.

Recently, some rolls for the flatwork ironers have been provided with vacuum systems so that the moisture may be withdrawn through the pad assembly into the interior of the roll. Of course, the more dense the lead cloth is, the greater is the power requirement for removing the moisture. Thus, with the close weave prior art lead cloth, a relatively large amount of power is required and low vacuum efficiency results.

Heretofore, it was believed too expensive to provide a synthetic lead cloth or backing cloth and also impractical because needles employed in the manufacture of pad assemblies do not readily penetrate the synthetic fabric. Some attempts have been made to provide a lead cloth formed of synthetic material; however, such a lead cloth was of close weave material and proved to be unsatisfactory since the pad assembly would slide and partially unwind around the roll when the roll was not in use, thereby providing slack in the lead cloth. Upon sub- 3,097,442 Patented July 16, 1563 sequent use, the slack in the lead cloth was suddenly and violently taken up, thereby ripping or tearing the lead cloth from the roll. Contrary to prior art beliefs and practices, however, I have devised a pad assembly which is competitive with the prior art pad assemblies and, yet, may utilize relatively expensive synthetic yarns in the lead cloth and/or backing. The lead cloth of the present invention includes an open mesh lock stitch weave construction which is well suited to be glued to the roll or engaged by the metal laces of the permanently secured portion of the clipper lace or attached by other means. The lead cloth of the present invention is of sufiiciently open mesh construction that it may be applied as a backing secured to the entire surface of the pad or padding by the usual chain stitching joining the slivers.

When all pads are manufactured, the upper and lower surfaces of the pad are essentially the same dimensions; however, when the pad is placed circumferentially around the roll, the outer surface being at a greater distance from the center of the roll must define a larger arc in surrounding the roll than the inner surface. Thus, usually there is gathering or bunching together or overlapping of the fibers or fabric along the inner surface of the pad. With a leno Weave construction for a backing in the present invention, the warp threads tend to twist and take up the filling threads as any compression fillingwise of the backing takes place. Thus even though some compression of the inner surface of the pad takes place, it is compensated for by the shrinking effect of the leno weave backing fillingwise.

The steam chests of the flatwork ironers have contact arcs of predetermined radii calculated to receive a roll having a full thickness pad assembly thereon. With continued use, the prior art pad tends to spread out warpwise up to about ten percent, thereby naturally reducing the thickness of the pad. When this occurs, the roll is said to be under-caliper and the are of contact between the roll and the steam chest is appreciably reduced, thereby reducing the elficiency of that particular roll. With a pad of the present invention installed on the roll, shrinkage of the nylon or other synthetic yarn occurs when heat is applied to the pad assembly and therefore the backing tends to resist the spreading tendency of the pad. Thus, the roll with my pad assembly installed thereon tends to hold its caliper longer.

The pad or padding in my construction may be conventional padding or double layer material such as is disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 815,170, filed May 22, 1959, and the cover cloth may be of conventional construction. As will be more fully described hereinafter, I have devised several ways of securing the elements of my pad assembly together.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive pad assembly for the roll of a flatwork ironer which pad assembly is durable in structure, eflicient in operation and economical to manufacture.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in a pad assembly of the class herein described, a novel lead and/ or backing cloth which is sufiiciently rough to grip effectively the roll.

Another object of my invention is to provide an essentially foolproof pad assembly which may be quickly and easily installed on a fiatwork ironer roll.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pad assembly in which the various elements thereof last about the same length of time, thereby providing a pad assembly which does not require the assembling of new and used elements.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pad assembly which may be selectively installed on a roll of a flatwork ironer having a smooth outer periphery or a periphery provided with laces of a clipper lace or other attaching means.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pad assembly which is resilient and heat resistant and which will permit the easy passage of moisture therethrough.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pad assembly in which the padding retains its shape for an extended period of time and in which there is no spreading of the padding.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pad assembly in which in use the padding thereof retains its thickness for an extended period of time.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pad assembly which may be readily produced utilizing conventional equipment. 7

'Another object of my invention is to reduce the length of cover cloth previously required and provide an assembly in which all strain on the pad assembly will be transmitted back to the roll without frictional engagement between the elements thereof.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference desigrrate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. '1 is a perspective view of a roll of a flatwork ironer with a pad assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention partially installed thereon.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation of .a. roll of a flatwork ironer with a modified form of the present invention partially installed thereon.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and showing another modified form of the pad assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan View of a fragment of the lead cloth of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective fragmentary view of a roll of a flatwork ironer showing one method of attaching the lead cloth of the present invention to the periphery of the roll.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of \a roll of a fiatwork ironer and a conventional clipper lace attachment secured thereto, the lead cloth of the pad assembly of the present invention being attached thereto.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of one form of pad of the pad assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the roll of a flatwork ironer with the pad assembly of the present invention installed thereon.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing the lead cloth of the present invention in a position to be attached to another conventional securing means.

Referring now in detail to the embodiments chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, numeral 10 denotes a roll which is adapted to cooperate with the steam chest of a fiatwork ironer so as to successively press therebetween articles of clothing fed through the machine. This roll 10 is provided with a smooth outer periphery for receiving glue to secure the lead cloth thereto, and in some instances it may be provided, was shown in FIG. 6, with an axially extending metal plate 11 provided, along one edge, with a plurality of spaced transversely aligned metal laces 12 through which may protrude a metal locking rod 13. An alternate form of securing means which may be attached to roll 10 is shown in FIG. 9. In this illustration, the metal plate 11' is provided with spaced sleeves 12 for receiving rod 13'. The roll 10 may also be provided with holes (not shown) which communicate with the interior so that a vacuum drawn on the interior of the roll will cause air to pass through the roll 10. My pad assembly, to be hereinafter described, is well suited to operate in conjunction with each of the above described conventional type rolls.

According to the present invention, the lead cloth is formed of an open mesh weave having the warp yarns 21 and 21' running transversely of roll 10 and cover cloth 40, the filling yarns 22 running lonigtudinally thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the lead cloth is preferably formed of a leno weave fabric having at least 20% air spaces 25 based on the surface area of the fabric. It will be understood, of course, that by the terms leno weave I I mean either an ordinary leno weave or a Boston leno weave, and that a knotted fish net weave could be substituted for the leno weave without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention. An open mesh knotted fish net weave, however, is an expensive construction and therefore is not preferred. It will be apparent that, in some instances, the warp and filling yarns 21 and 22 may be glued or fused together where they cross, thereby eliminating the necessity of the leno weave and the extra warp yarns 21. In any event a locked weave open mesh weave fabric is to be employed as a lead cloth 20.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, this leno weave lead cloth 20 has the following characteristics:'

Weight per square yard 5 /2 025. Warp ends per inch 13 ozs. Pick ends per inch 6 /2 ozs. Size of yarns:

Fillings 840 denier/ 2 ply. Warp 840 denier/ 2 ply. Weave Leno. Construction Open mesh. Material:

Warp yarns Continuous filament nylon. Filling yarns Continuous filament nylon.

Of course, the preferred characteristics of lead cloth 20 may be varied. For example, from about 1 to about 128 warp ends per inch may be used, from about 1 to about pick ends per inch may be used, and the size of the yarns may be varied from about 50 to about 4600 denier. Also the weight per square yard of the fabric for the lead cloth 20 may be varied from /2 oz. to 28 oz.

It will be understood that, while I prefer to employ nylon as the yarn for lead cloth 20, other materials are suitable. For example, polyester fiber may be used in place of nylon or substantially any continuous filament, or spun heat resistant synthetic yarn may be substituted for the nylon yarns.

In some instances when a very stiff lead cloth 20 is desired, I have found it desirable to coat the yarns 21, 21 and 22 with a melamine or heat resistant resin finish.

In forming the lead cloth 20 to the proper size, the edges of lead cloth 20 may be fused so as to bind yarns 21, 21 together, or these yarns 21, 21' may be :fed back through the mesh. Even with the yarn 21, 21 cut, no appreciable unravelling of the lead cloth '20 takes place; however, large selvedges on one or both edges are sometimes helpful, depending on type of application.

The pad 3%) of my invention may be of a single layer of slivers 31 arranged longitudinally in the pad assembly, such as shown in FIG. 1, or it may be of a double layer of slivers 32, 32', such as shown in cross section in FIG. 7. In any event, parallel transverse rows of threads 33 secure the sliver 31 or slivers 32, 32' in place. The construction of the padding shown in FIG. 7 is more completely described in my above mentioned eopending application. The padding 30 may contain all cotton, synthetic or asbestos either as separate layers or a composite mixture of any or all of these materials. For example, the sliver 32 may be of cotton and the sliver 32' may be of another material such as asbestos or of a heat resistant synthetic such as polyester fibers, cellulose triacetate fibers or nylon fibers or a combination of any of these materials.

The threads 33 are chain stitched on a double .bar Raschel Knitting Machine to bind the slivers 31 together. Threads 33 are preferably formed of cellulose triacetate,

known in the trade as Arnel, even though the threads 33 may be of asbestos or other heat resistant material or heat resistant synthetic. In some instances it may be found desirable to precompress the outer edge portions ofthe pad 30 so that the central portion of the pad assembly will more firmly engage the articles being ironed.

The cover cloth 40 is preferably formed from woven yarns of polyester fiber, known in the trade as Dacron. This cover cloth 40 has a thickness from about .008 inch to .18 inch. The yarn count in the woven cover cloth 40 is from about 6 to about 160 picks per inch and from about 6 to about 160 ends per inch. The weight of the cover cloth is from /5 pound per square yarn to about 8 pounds per square yard while the yarn size for the warp and filling is equivalent to, or is a cotton count of A1 of 1 C. to 40 C., either plied or singles.

Referring now to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the lead cloth 20 is preferably of 'a length about one and one half times the circumference of the roll 10 even though this length may be reduced when the lead cloth is securely fixed to roll 10. The lead cloth 20 preferably extends entirely over one surface of the padding 30, being secured thereto by the threads 33 to form a backing therefor. Since the lead cloth 20 is open mesh, the needles of the knitting machine readily pass through this lead cloth 20 and are not appreciably heated due to friction.

The inner end 41 of the cover cloth 40 overlaps the outer end 34 of the pad and is secured thereto by several of the endmost rows of yarns 33. Thus, a continuous unitary pad is formed having lead cloth 20 as an integral extension of the backing of one surface of pad 30 and a cover cloth extending from the opposite surface of pad 30 in an opposite direction from the direction in which the lead cloth extends.

In FIG. 2 it is seen that, in some instances, the cover cloth 40 need not be fixed to the lead cloth 20 and pad 30. Instead, the end 41 may be tucked beneath the outer end of the lead cloth and outer end of the padding 39. Since the lead cloth 20 overlaps itself, when rolled around the roll 10, the end 41 of the cover cloth 40 will be firmly gripped between two layers of the lead cloth 2% and the roughness of the leno weave of the lead cloth 20 prevents the cover cloth 40 from being pulled out. Thence, the cover cloth 40 passes between the abutting ends of the pad 30 and around the outer surface thereof.

In FIG. 3 it is seen that, if desired, the inner end 41 of the cover cloth 40 maybe stitched with yarns to the outer end of the lead cloth 20. In this instance, the padding 3!] need not be fixed to the lead cloth 20. In installing the pad of FIG. 3 on the roll 10, the pad 30 is placed over or under the forward end portion of the lead cloth 20 so that the abutting ends of the pad 30 are behind or in front of the junction of the lead cloth 20 and cover cloth 40. Thus, with the pad 30 either over or under the lead cloth 20, only the cover cloth 44 passes between these abutting ends of pad 30 and then is wrapped around the outer surface of the pad 30.

In FIGS. 6 and 9 it will be seen that if it is desired to attach the pad assembly of the present invention to a roll having a metal plate such as plate 11 or 11', the filling yarns 22 at an intermediate portion along the lead cloth 20 may be spread sufliciently to receive the laces 12 or sleeves 12 of metal plate 11 or 11. Also, the filling yarns 22 may be cut transversely and fused to the warp yarns 21, 21' to provide spaced slots such as slots 27 through which the sleeve 12 or -a group of laces 12 may project. In either event, the portion of the lead cloth 20 is looped beneath or above the remaining portion of the lead cloth 20 and the rod 13 or 13 retains the lead cloth in place.

In FIG. 8, the composite pad assembly of FIG. 1 is shown attached to and wrapped around the outer periphcry of a roll 10, such as seen in FIG. 5. It will be noted from this drawing that the length of the lead cloth 20 is in excess of the distance around the circumference of the roll 10 so that portions of the lead cloth 20 overlap and lie contiguous with each other. This, however, does not prevent the lead cloth 20 or the pad 30 from breathing properly since there are relatively large air spaces 25 in lead cloth 20 which are not entirely closed by the overlapped portions.

In the constructions disclosed, essentially all of the force exerted on the cover cloth is transmitted back to the lead cloth 20 and thence to the roll 10. Thus no appreciable shearing force is applied to the pad 30. Because the surface of the lead cloth 20 is rough and irregular and the yarns therein tend to shrink when subjected to heat, the roll is gripped uniformly around its periphery by the lead cloth 20 so that the composite pad is firmly anchored to roll 10, regardless of how the inner end of the lead cloth 20 is secured to the roll 10.

The integral extension or forward portion of the lead cloth 20, which forms either a backing or the upper surface overlapping the pad 30, provides a stabilizing cloth adjacent and secured to the pad 30 to prevent app-reciable spreading out of the pad 30. It will readily be understood that this feature of the present invention may be employed with any conventional pad, Whether or not the lead cloth is a conventional lead cloth or a lead cloth formed according to the present invention, and whether or not the lead cloth is attached to the other elements of the pad assembly such as the backing forming the stabilizer cloth.

Composite pad assemblies made in accordance with the present invention usually have a useful life of from six to eight months, as opposed to some prior art pads which last but a month under about the same conditions.

By the term open mesh locked weave fabric as used in the claims, I mean a fabric having a leno weave, Boston leno weave, a knotted fishnet weave or a weave in which the warp and filling yarns are fused or glued together to form an open mesh.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations may be made in the embodiments here chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention without departing from the scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a flatwork ironer of the class wherein a roll is mounted in spaced relationship to a steam chest and a securing plate is mounted axially on the periphery of said roll, said plate being provided with securing means engaging a pad assembly covering the periphery of said roll, and a rod passes through said securing means, the combination with said pad assembly of a lead cloth formed of open mesh locked weave fabric, the securing means of said securing plate projecting between adjacent yarns of said fabric, the end portion of said lead cloth being looped around said rod.

2. A pad assembly for the roll of a flatwork ironer comprising a lead cloth, a pad, a stabilizer cloth being formed as an integral extension of said lead cloth, said pad being secured to said stabilizer cloth along one surface of said pad, said lead cloth extending outwardly of one edge of sair pad, said stabilizer cloth being coextensive with said pad, a cover cloth extending from the opposite surface of said pad outwardly of the opposite edge of said pad, stitches securing said cover cloth to said pad, said lead cloth and said stabilizer cloth being formed of open mesh fabric having warp and filling yarns defining a leno weave, said fabric having at least 20% air space, and said warp and filling yarns being continuous filament nylon and including stitching securing said pad to said stabilizer cloth.

3. A pad assembly for the roll of a fiatwork ironer comprising a lead cloth, a pad, a stabilizer cloth being formed as an integral extension of said lead cloth, said pad being secured to said stabilizer cloth along one surface of said pad, said lead cloth extending outwardly of one edge of said pad, said stabilizer cloth being coextensive with said pad, a cover cloth extending from the opposite surface of said pad outwardly of the opposite edge of said pad, stitches securing said cover cloth to said pad, said lead cloth and said stabilizer cloth being formed of open mesh fabric having warp and filling yarns defining a leno weave, said fabric having at least 20% air space, said warp and filling yarns being continuous filament nylon and including stitching securing said pad to said stabilizer cloth, and said pad being formed of slivers running longitudinally of said pad assembly and said filling yarns run longitudinally of said pad assembly.

4. Ina pad assembly for a fiatwork ironer roll adapted to extend around the periphery of the roll, a pad and a cloth engaging one surface of said pad, said cloth extending outwardly beyond one edge of said pad for providing a means by which said pad is secured to said roll, said cloth being characterized by warp and filling yarns forming a leno weave, said cloth having at least 20% air space therein, said Warp yarns extending transversely of said pad, said filling yarns extending longitudinally of said pad and adapted to circumferentially encompass the roll, the length of said cloth being sufiicient for the end portions of said cloth to overlap when said pad assembly is Wrapped around said roll such that certain of said warp yarns at one end portion of said cloth engage with certain of the warp yarns at the other end portion of said cloth for locking said assembly to said roll.

5. The combination with a roll for a flatwork ironer of a pad assembly extending around the periphery of said roll, said pad assembly including a lead cloth element having warp and filling yarns forming a leno weave with at least 20% air space therein, said filling yarn extended circumferentially about said roll, said warp yarns extending transversely of said roll, one end portion of said lead cloth element being secured transversely to the surface of said roll throughout a substantial transverse portion of said roll, said lead cloth element extending from its secured end around the periphery of said roll, a pad element engaging the other end portion of said lead cloth element and extending therefrom around said roll and over a portion of said lead cloth element, a cover cloth element engaging one end portion of said pad element and extending at least once around said roll over said pad element, and means securing in overlapping relationship the end por'tions of at least two of the aforesaid elements. 1 V

6. A pad assembly for the roll of a flatwork ironer comprising a lead colth, a pad, a stabilizer cloth being formed as an integral extension of said lead cloth, said lead cloth extending outwardly of one edge of said pad,

and a cover cloth extending from said pad outwardly of the opposite edge of said pad, said cover cloth and said lead cloth and said stabilizer cloth each being at least as wide as said pad, said lead cloth and said stabilizer cloth being formed of open mesh fabric having Warp and filling yarn defining a leno weave, said fabric having at least 20% air space, said warp and filling yarn being heat resistant synthetic yarns, said fabric being disposed with its warp yarns extending transversely with respect to said pad and said cover cloth, and with said filling yarns extended in a direction for circurnferentially encompassing the roll, said lead cloth and said stabilizer cloth together being of a length greater than the circumference of the roll to which said assembly is to be attached, the end portions of said lead cloth and said cover cloth being adapted to overlap when said assembly is disposed around said roll so that the Warp yarns along said end portions cooperate for locking said assembly to said roll.

7. A pad assembly for the roll of a flatwork ironer comprising a lead cloth, a pad, a stabilizer cloth being formed as an integral extension of said lead cloth, said pad being secured to said stabilizer cloth along one sur face of said pad, said lead cloth extending outwardly of one "edge of said pad, said stabilizer cloth being coextensive with said pad, a cover cloth extending from the opposite surface of said pad outwardly of the opposite edge of said pad, stitches securing said cover cloth to said pad, said lead cloth and said stabilizer cloth being formed of open mesh fabric having warp and filling yarns defining a leno Weave, said fabric having at least 20% air space, and said warp and filling yarns being heat resistant synthetic yarns and including stitching securing said pad to said stabilizer cloth.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 23, 

1. IN A FLATWORK IRONER OF THE CLASS WHEREIN A ROLL IS MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO A STREAM CHEST AND A SECURING PLATE IS MOUNTED AXIALLY ON THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROLL, SAID PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH SECURING MEANS ENGAGING A PAD ASSEMBLE COVERING THE PERIPHERY OOF SAID ROLL, AND A PAD PASSES THROUGH SAID SECURING MEANS, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID PAD ASSEMBLE OF A LEAD CLOTH 